Helen Fay Stoltz-wood

Foothills of the Turtle Mountans Helen Fay Stoltz-wood

The Fay - Thomas Family narrative shares a sense of history in the context of events, many outside the control of our grandparents Patrick and Rachel Thomas Fay. This account tells the tale of how our ancestors became a tiny speck of society in the cross-border migration between Canada and the U. S. in the early 20th century. This family moved across that International Border at will with their ever increasing number of children in tow, mostly due to economic reasons or a child about to be delivered (all of the children were born in the States - or so it was recorded - rightly or wrongly). And as a carpenter, grandpa's jobs were often only a single season project (bridge, new school, barn) and then on to the next vacancy in a crew no matter which side of a border they hardly knew existed. U. S. and Canadian documents such as: vital records, deeds of land and property tax liens, census transcriptions, family folklore, cemetery files, newspaper stories, school accounts and photographs support the whereabouts of Patrick William Fay and Rachel Thomas Fay between 1901 and 1958. Our grandparents settled, moved and settled again throughout the Turtle Mountains area of Southern Manitoba/Northern North Dakota, west to Saskatchewan, then Montana, ultimately Pat Fay's death/burial in Manitoba (1941) and lastly, Idaho and the death/burial of Rachel Thomas Fay Evarts (1959). As many of the Pat / Rachel Thomas Fay descendants as possible fill the remaining pages of the family history book with many photos. Two of the five Fay children choose to live out their lives with their families in Canada. The other three children selected the United States as home for themselves and their families.